NCJ Number
198743
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 70 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2003 Pages: 57-59
Date Published
January 2003
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article recounts the dilemma of managing civilian police department employees and presents a model program from Pasadena, CA, that has addressed key issues.
Abstract
According to this article, the numbers of civilian employees who work for police departments across the country are growing in record numbers. However, the recruitment, classification, and career paths of these employees are not clearly defined, wasting police department resources and time. In Pasadena, CA, Police Chief Bernard Melekian implemented a review process to better recruit and utilize civilian employees of his department. Through this review process, the department uncovered many problems in need of resolution, including the fact that only 5 job classifications were used for civilian employees, even though these employees covered 29 different job functions. Another problem was the lack of a clear career path for these civilian employees. The recruitment process was also presented as a problem for the department. Potential employees had to apply for general city positions, creating a large pool of potential employees, some of who had no interest in working for the police department. As a result of this review process, Chief Melekian formed a labor-management committee to resolve outstanding problems. The committee established the Pasadena Police Civilian Career Advancement Project that re-classified civilian positions and developed clear career paths with advancement options. It is suggested that this type of response to civilian employee issues could be implemented across the country.